The concept of nationalism and national identity: A study of the different characters psychological and physical displacement due to colonization in the novel the english patient by michael ondaatje

Author: 
Farhana Haque, M.A.,

The aim of this paper is to explore the identity crisis in Michael Ondaatje’s The English Patient from the postcolonial perspectives. Actually this novel has been discussed through the concept of nationalism, therefore gave more concentration towards the cultural, psychological and physical displacement due to colonization, exploration and the shifting notion from one place to another place. This paper’s main focus has centered aroundthe issues of national identities, the streams of European explorers, scientists and spies. After these significant issues, the another important focus was about anexceptional man in this novel and whose name was Kip. He was a colonized figure who acted as a bomb defuser in British army. To analyse the concept of nationalism and national identity, i would like tomention the theories of Benedict Anderson, theories and views of Benedict Anderson, Homi Bhabha, Franz Fanon, Edward Said, and so on. Desert was the predominant setting in this novel, like these scientists desert has been considered as unmanageable and unsustainable because of sand storm. Therefore, the scientists investigationsweredifficult and they can hardly achieve to map out the desert.The surface of the desert changed rapidly which has been presented in this novel TheEnglish Patient.The unreliable nature of desert symbolized the unreliable national identites, which was shattered and isolated because of the traumatic conditions of the characters in the unknown landscape and different culture. Moreover, this paper will elucidate the weak vigour of identities and the hybrid identity holder man named kip who was the representative of dual identifyafter staying in anEuropean colonization.

Paper No: 
1009